Page 82 of The One Timer
“Why are you asking me now?” She whispers, “Is it because of the scare about losing Gran?”
“No.” I don’t mention it was Gran’s idea because that’s not the real reason after all. “Besides the fact that I know you want to move out from Aunt Bea’s, Kat and Uvi told me they fired you –”
“They didn’t fire me—it wasn’t like that. Not really.”
“I know. See how generous you are? You lose your job and you’re understanding about it, no resentment to those who ditched you—”
“Stop it. Answer my question.”
“If you’re not working for Gran, how else am I going to see you nearly every day unless we move in together?”
She gives me a mock threatening look and I suppress a laugh. “You’re part of my life.” I take a breath. I know what she needs to hear. “I want you to remain part of my life, to belong to me.”
Tears stream down her face like I turned on a spigot and she swipes at them before I can, then she wraps her arms around me, her head resting against my chest where my heart pounds out of control. “I want to say yes so badly. But…”
“No buts.”
She snorts and looks up at me. “What about your family? Do they know about this?”
I grin. “I forgot to mention one thing. It was Gran’s idea.”
“What about Katherine?”
“She adores you. She even brain-stormed ways to get around your proud-streak.”
Em laughs as her tears flow and I kiss her wet cheeks, drinking in her tears.
“Tell me these are tears of joy, Em. Please.”
“Oh, Chase. I love you so much—even if you are a fairytale prince. These foolish tears are part joy and part disbelief. Give me a minute to adjust to this all being real.”
“You know how real I am.”
“Sure—Yes, I do. But everything around you feels like a dream. Your home, your car, the limo.” She sighs. “It’s very disconcerting to go from watching you on TV to your bed and now to…live with you?”
“We’ll take our time. You’ll adapt.”
“Up to a point. I’m not ready for more than a one-bedroom apartment.”
“Sounds fine with me—as long as I can get us a super deluxe bed.”
The brilliance of the smile she flashes at me knocks the breath out of me and dizziness hits me as she wraps her arms around my neck and standing on her toes, plants a passionate kiss on my mouth. But I quickly regain my equilibrium and capture her mouth, deepening the kiss until it feels like I’ll never let her go.
“You’re mine.” I say the words, letting them spill into her mouth, letting her swallow them whole and realize I’m hers too.
But that only sends a raging fire through my veins and straight to my dick.
“Let’s go somewhere else,” I rasp out in a ragged breath.
At that moment, Merry bursts from the bathroom…
First Epilogue
CHASE
An hour before the game starts, I skate onto the ice at the Garden for our final game of the season which happens to be against the Boston Brawlers. The high of being here, in this position, playing NHL hockey and heading into the playoffs, but mostly feeling the love surrounding me, might levitate me right off the ice tonight.
I skate over to the spot just left of center ice and look directly at the spot where I know my girls will be with their entourage. Em stands and waves, whistles loud and grins like a crazy fangirl. Gran laughs, patting Em’s back encouraging her enthusiastic behavior. Merry, the Fosters, my Uncle and his family and my sister surround them, demonstrating varying degrees of enthusiasm, but none as over the top as Em’s.
